Mindfulness Meditation & Self-Compassion

I am new here and am enjoying reading the helpful posts on this forum. I just wanted to share this resource with all of you who are dealing with the extremely high stress of caregiving.

I worked for many years in hospice as a caregiver (CNA) and currently am a part-time family caregiver for my mom. I am also a former Buddhist monk and a meditation instructor.

Mindfulness meditation is one of the most simple and helpful things that I have found when caregiving. It has allowed me to feel more calm, happy and attentive, and has helped me to work with my self-judgments and feel more self-compassion, which I feel has helped me to have a lot less frustration and more compassion towards others.

You may think that you have no time to meditate, but actually it only takes a few minutes to begin to feel a difference. And because mindfulness is simply the practice of paying attention to the present moment, it can be brought into any of our caregiving activities, making them more enjoyable and relaxing.

Here is a very simple mindfulness meditation that you can try right now, if you like:

Ask yourself, "Do I have a body?" Then just notice all the sensations in your body for a little while. If you notice any tension or pain, rather than resisting these sensations and wanting to make them go away, try opening to them just as they are, with a sense of gentleness and care. It can help to close your eyes.

Even doing this for a minute or two can make a big difference. And this is just one example of how mindfulness meditation can become a practice of self-compassion.

If you are interested in learning more about this, I offer regular free online mindfulness webinars for fellow caregivers at http://CalmCare.org

Helpful Links

Caregiver Action Network

Caregiver Action Network is the nation’s leading family caregiver organization working to improve the quality of life for the more than 90 million Americans who care for loved ones with chronic conditions, disabilities, disease, or the frailties of old age. CAN serves a broad spectrum of family caregivers ranging from the parents of children with special needs, to the families and friends of wounded soldiers; from a young couple dealing with a diagnosis of MS, to adult children caring for parents with Alzheimer’s disease. CAN (the National Family Caregivers Association) is a non-profit organization providing education, peer support, and resources to family caregivers across the country free of charge.